The five-headed girl group, Fifth Harmony, generally considered the underdog in this glitzy singing competition, pulled a stunner Thursday night and bolted into next week's grand finale. Joining them in the battle for a $5 million recording contract will be country crooner Tate Stevens and teen titan Carly Rose Sonenclar.

Failing to make the final was Southern California boy band Emblem 3. They received the lowest amount of viewer votes and wound up walking the plank during Thursday's results show.

After receiving the bad news, Emblem 3's Wes Stromberg said the group was "so grateful" for the experience before giving a shout-out to their fans.

"I know you voted your butts off. It's all good. We love you, and we're going to continue to make music," he said.

Emblem 3 and Fifth Harmony were both mentored by judge Simon Cowell, and of the two groups, the guys had appeared to have the inside track to the final. They consistently ranked ahead of Fifth Harmony on the weekly leaderboard and even Cowell said on Wednesday that it would take a "miracle" for Fifth Harmony to make it to next week.

The girls pulled off the miracle, thanks in large part to their vocals and Alice in Wonderland-like stagecraft on "Anything Can Happen" Wednesday night. Judge L.A. Reid called it their best performance of the season and Britney Spears described it as "magic."

The three remaining acts will have one last chance to impress America during Season 2's final performance show next Wednesday (8 p.m., Fox).